Jar of Hearts
by SuperiorMe
Summary: Harry decided he was useless at the Potter's, where he was overshadowed by his twin brother's fame, him being the Boy-Who-Lived and all. So he decided to run away, and nothing is going to stop Harry from being a star like he was meant to be. And this time he'll enjoy it, he earned his fame. Wrong BWL story!
1. Prologue

**Jar of Hearts**

By SuperiorMe

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.

**Prologue**

Harry was in the Potter Library, reading, like normal.

Meanwhile his twin was screaming, outside, like a lunatic, while their father chased Nick on his broom and their mother rolled around on the floor with laughter. Like normal.

And, like normal, Harry was alone.

Sometimes Remus Lupin, one of the Potter's former best friends would join him in reading. But after a while he would tell Harry he needed to leave, as he wasn't allowed to be in the Potter's household after the incident that had occurred nearly two years ago. And sometimes Sirius Black would join him. But then he would leave, too. Other than that, Harry was on his own.

His twin, on the other hand, was being showered with praises from the "Perfect Couple" Lily and James. He was on the cover of the _Daily Prophet _almost every week and often the model of the latest issues of _Teen Witch Weekly_. Not to mention he was only eight. And the fact that he was rather unhandsome, looking rather awkward next the the rest of the supermodels who had actual facial hair and abs. Nick had flabs and tousled Weasley-red hair that were unattractive on his fat head. He was often called, "England's Angel." Which was hilarious, because he was anything but that. Rude an arrogant, he got everything he asked for and nothing less. Everything was handed to him, never needing to work for anything. It was probably considered a crime to ask for his help, as Harry had done so once and had gotten smacked for being rude.

Why, you ask, would anyone want to please this pig?

Of course, most of the people asking this were muggles. Non-wizarding people who had no knowledge of the magical world or their savior, Nick Potter.

Muggles would be dismayed to hear that this lazy boy was the savior of the wizarding world, but it was true. He had only been a baby when the famous Dark Lord Voldemort had attacked the Potter's, for some reason trying to get his hands on the youngest one. Nick. That was when he told Lily Potter before he knocked her out. Then, supposedly, he cast the killing curse upon Nick Potter and created that scar on his forehead, and the curse rebounded on Voldemort, who was knocked to dust and was no more. Debris fell and left his older twin brother, Harry, with a zigzag mark in the exact same place. That was the story, at least how Albus Dumbledore predicted it. That was what made Nick Potter, only fifteen months old, the Boy-Who-Lived, hailed by the wizarding world as their savior.

Then came the aftermath. The time where poor little Harry Potter knelt in the shadows with his books on his birthday as Nick was given about three hundred presents at a time. Harry normally only received two, from Remus and Sirius. Once, when Harry confronted his parents on why they never gave him presents he got smacked on the face as his mother claimed him a spoiled brat and said nastily, "You don't deserve them. When You-Know-Who attacked, you just passed out like a coward!" To which Harry had a few awful responses in mind but kept them to himself, not wanting to be beat on his birthday.

Harry remembered when he was six years old. It was Christmas, and he was excited because Remus said he had a surprise for him. He knew Remus didn't have so much money, not being able to keep a steady job, so Harry hastily replied not to get him a present as Remus had already been too kind. Remus had gotten this sad look on his face and told Harry that he deserved it.

It had been amazing. Sirius and Remus both pitched in and gave Harry the newest broom, a Shooting Star. Harry had squealed and jumped into their arms, but he was soon disappointed as James picked up the broom with a frown on his face.

"Nick, look you have a new broom!"

The look on Sirius's face was one Harry would never forget. It was murderous, and that fight that broke out after that was even worse. Harry had stayed, in Remus's arms with his face pressed into the man's chest as he and Sirius went at it. Sirius ended up with a bloody nose, but James had fractured his arm. In the end, Harry got the broom, but the moment his godfather and Remus walked out the door, James took it outside and broke it right in front of him. The two men hadn't been back for months after that, and it was one of the worst times in Harry's short life. But, in late March, Sirius had showed up in Harry's window with an exact replica saying that it had taken them months to get another one.

Harry had hugged Sirius so tightly he was sure he broke a couple of the older man's bones.

Needless to say, Sirius and Remus were never allowed in the house again but, as mentioned previously, they sometimes visited him in the library for a short hour before escaping somehow without being seen. Harry figured they used to spend a lot of time in Godric's Hollow so they probably knew it better than himself.

One night, Harry was in the Potter Library once more when he heard a noise. It was a House-elf.

It looked to be crying, sobbing. Harry had seen House-Elf's cry before, but most times it was only because of the "Potter's greatness" as they had been trained to say when the reporters showed up. Harry could tell this one was truly upset, unlike the tears of happiness they normally cried.

"Hello." Harry said, trying to sound neutral, though the House-Elf promptly burst into tears.

Harry smiled at it, reaching out his hand and coaxing it to come out from the bookshelf. The House-Elf gave a watery smile and reached for it, pulling himself up and fixing his dirty white tee that looked like a dress.

"What's your name?" Harry asked, feeling slightly embarrassed not to know his own House-Elf's name.

"Binky, good sir! Binky is excited to meet young Master! Oh, they talk so much about good sir!"

"They do?" Harry asked excitedly. His parents did pay attention to him!

"Of course they do, Master Nick! Master Nick is all Mistress and Master ever talk about!"

And just as quick as his excitement built up, it deflated like a balloon. He was going to tell the little elf that his name was not Nick Potter, nor would it ever be. He figured that would possibly offend the House-Elf, or make it feel bad, so he decided to go with a different approach. He didn't want to hurt the little creature.

"Oh, yes my brother Nick is wonderful, isn't he?" Binky looked confused for a moment before his eyes widened, and flooded with tears.

"What's wrong?"

"Binky does not know the Master's name….OH!" He sobbed.

"That's alright!" Harry assured him. "I like you, and you're a very good House-Elf! My name is Harry Potter, just Harry. I order you not to call me Master, but I am your friend so you only need to call me Harry."

The House-Elf looked positively bewildered for a few moments before letting out a joyous laugh and skipped around Harry. Binky spoke after a few moments of dancing, "Harry?" Harry nodded and smiled at him. "Oh, Harry is wonderful! Binky has never met anyone as good as Harry before! Young…friend…is amazing!"

Harry was confused as well. He never realized how great it was to have someone sing your praises, and suddenly understood how satisfying it was. But, he didn't want to get a big head. Like Nick, who was a big brat. In fact, Harry turned to the elf and said that the elf was the greatest elf he had ever met. Though, he was practically the only, besides asking the house elves to cook dinner and such. He knew how to handle them, though, because he had once seen an elf go into a panic attack as Nick told him that his steak was too dry.

The rest of the day Harry hung out with Binky. His first real friend. Though it wasn't like Sirius and Remus weren't already his friends – but they would only talk about Harry. He and Binky ranged from subjects from Quidditch to Van Gogh, and though it was a rather awkward time to have with a House-Elf, Harry knew he was a reliable friend.

That was until Lily came down.

"Harry James Potter!" She screeched, and Harry was surprised she remembered his name. "Stop bothering the House-Elves and go make yourself useful!"

The House-Elf looked ready to cry, but seemed defiant. "No, no! Binky was not at all bothered! Harry a good friend!"

Lily looked disapproving. "Binky, I'm afraid you're going to have to get the clothes. You're supposed to be working."

No he wasn't. It was the middle of the night and he was supposed to be sleeping, so Binky was supposed to in bed. But the Potter's had once told them they could walk about whenever. It seemed as though that rule had changed overnight.

Binky burst into tears, clinging onto Harry's shoulder and blowing his snot into his shirt. "No! NO!" He cried, sounding very much like Nick in a tantrum. But Lily removed her sweaty sock and handed it to Binky, who disapparated away with loud sobs.

Lily turned to Harry. "I should have raised you better."

Then she walked up the stairs leaving a stunned Harry in her wake. Not only had she just gotten rid of his best friend, but she had called him a bad son. Harry felt like destroying the library, crushing it, hurting Lily as she walked out the door. He shut his eyes for what seemed like a lifetime, and then opened them. The library was in chaos, showcasing a rather impressive display of accidental magic. He didn't feel one twinge of regret, but was worried what his mother would say in the morning. She had already been halfway up the stairs when the library collapsed almost silently under Harry's will, so she hadn't seen it. She probably wouldn't for a while, as his family was rarely in their extensive library.

He began to feel nervous. He would be punished. Beat, even. Starved.

And then he realized how unlucky he was. His twin was spoiled beyond belief, and he got nothing? It just wasn't fair. He would be better off alone, he decided. He had practically raised himself anyways. He could go off in the streets and perhaps find money for a stay at the Leaky Cauldron.

It all happened rather fast to Harry. One moment, he was talking to Binky, the next, he was deciding to run away. Binky had made him realize no child should have to go through this neglect. He could be himself if he ran off. He could be independent. He didn't need his mother, or father, or brother. He was fine. He was sure of it. He could just steal his father's wallet, which he was sure contained over three hundred galleons at least. Enough for a year. He was absolutely fine. And if he changed his mind, he could just sneak back in and they wouldn't even notice. He could just pretend he had been there all along.

It was around two a.m. that Harry snuck out the front door. He felt reluctant to leave his home, though. Could he really make it? He was only eight…but, he was mature enough. He wouldn't do something stupid if he wasn't ready for it. However that may be, he still slept outside directly in front of his house though. Maybe they would come looking for him?

The next morning, he woke up late. It was already noon. Probably from the excitement of talking to Binky last night. He was still upset his friend had left.

He looked up, hoping to see his mum and dad and brother walking around screaming his name. But they weren't. Instead he heard voices in the backyard. He walked around the back, keeping close to the row of plants as his mother kept a garden she never bothered to prune.

His mother and father were laughing, drinking bottles of firewhiskey as their favorite son had fun in the sprinklers. Soaked to his skins, he yelled and screamed as James charmed the sprinklers to follow him, and he ran around the backyard. Harry felt like a stranger, watching in on this happy family romp around. It was like he wasn't even there to begin with. It hurt, he admit it. It hurt like hell. Blinking away a few stray tears, he silently wished to be anybody else. He wished he had never known Lily and James Potter. Backing away, with tears streaming down his face, he wanted his family to hurt. He would get his revenge. But then the thoughts stopped. What was _wrong _with him? He knew they ignored him before that, so why did he care now? He supposed he was being emotional, and asked for Merlin to forgive him for such vulgar thoughts.

He was still upset. And he did not forgive easily. No matter who offended him.

He backed up further, almost off the Potter property. Then, accepting that tears were streaming down his face, he turned tail and ran. He was a coward. He ran and ran at least for miles, before he recognized an old cobblestone street in London. Collapsing near a fountain he began to cry. He would never go back.

He was actually alone.

* * *

Lily Potter nee Evans watched her son fly around the Quidditch Pitch with stars in her eyes. In her eyes, he could do no wrong. His birthday was coming up and she was going to make this one extra special. He was, after all, turning nine and he was supposed to have a wonderful party or she wouldn't be doing her job as a great mother. She looked over at her husband, James. He was handsome, and smart, and brilliant. Just like her son, Nick. They were really an amazing family.

_Except, _Lily thought disgustedly, _Harry_.

But then again, he couldn't even be considered part of the family. He came down for dinners, though he hadn't been down in the last three days, and sometimes when they had guests. Foolishly thinking the guests were there to see him, Lily supposed. No one wanted to see him, though. They were all there for Nick. After all, he was amazing, and Harry was plain. Boring. Lame. Nerdy. Annoying. He was such a loser Lily was sure he would make it to Hufflepuff, when he got to Hogwarts. If he even made it. She wouldn't even be surprised if he was a squib. She and James had discussed it before, and if he was a squib they would disown him and send him to a muggle family. No one would notice. No one would care. Except maybe Sirius or Remus, they were real brats. They couldn't see that Nick was far more important than Harry.

Lily sneered as she remembered Harry talking to that rude House-Elf, who should have been working. She didn't really care about that elf's name, but if it was friends with her son it had to go. The stupid elf should have been talking to Nick, the better one.

"What are you thinking about, dear?" Her husband wondered, seeing her sneer.

"Harry."

That simple answer was enough for him to nod approvingly. "That's what I thought. Speaking of him, have you seen that brat in the last few days?"

She shook her head.

"I'll go check the library. Nick's and the boy's birthday is next week and I don't want Sirius coming over and breaking my leg because the idiot's not here."

Lily nodded, sitting back in her chair and relaxing, smiling as she heard her favorite son screaming as he looped through the air. A few minutes later, she heard frantic pounding of her husband's boots on the tile floor and sat up with vigor. "James! Don't destroy my kitchen floor!"

He grabbed Lily's hand and abruptly pulled her down many twisted halls, down the staircase with her screaming "LET ME GO!" The whole time. Her screaming, however, ceased when she got a glimpse of what he was presenting to her. The library. Or rather, the remains of the library. Shelves were crashed over the floor, like dominoes, priceless artifacts smashed and antique books strewn over the floor with pages scattering over no doubt filled with spells only available in those books. The Potter library was ruined. Overwhelming fury flooded her mind, the kid was going to die. Though no one but him really used the library, it was still useful at times. And he had destroyed it.

"He's going to die." James voiced her.

"WHERE IS HE?" Lily roared, expecting him to pop out of the corner and tell her he was sorry, to which she would tell James to beat the little brat.

But he didn't.

"I'll check his room." James said.

They searched for hours, and then James had an idea. He had made a map of Godric's Hollow, as it was easy to get lost, and it showed where everyone was, like the Marauder's Map II. But of Godric's Hollow. Telling Lily, she smacked him for not thinking of it earlier.

Harry Potter was not on the map.

"I'm going up to his room, the little brat probably charmed the map not to reveal him!" James scoffed.

"I'll come with you," Lily said, only intent on punishing the child.

"Mom! Dad! Where are you?" A voice whined from his room.

"We're right here, honey! Up by Harry's room!"

They walked in their son's room to find it was completely neat, like normal. There was nothing odd about it, a plain white quilt draped over the bed and a dresser across from it. The room was the smallest in the house, though there were larger. Harry didn't have many toys, so stacked along the walls were books witch he had stolen from the Potter library. The rule was that Harry wasn't allowed to take books into his room, but since the Potter's didn't come into his room it wasn't a problem.

"Why are you in that goof's room?" Nick complained, coming into the room.

"He destroyed the library, and we need to punish him!" Lily told him, and Nick smiled.

"What's this?" James wondered, strolling over to the bed where the white sheets almost hid an envelope from view. "Hopefully, a suicide note."

Lily and Nick laughed.

James read it out loud:

_Dear Potter Family,_

_ I've spent eight years with you. I've always felt like an outsider, which is why I chose the library over my family. I've felt completely useless with you, and I know I'm smarter than that. _

_ I don't have words to express how disappointed I am in our family. We aren't even a family, because you are all fakes. It's obvious, all you care about your image. I don't even think you, James and Lily, love each other. Lily wants money, James wants sex. _

_ I feel older than I am when I say this but, I think you, Nick, are a real disappointment. The-Boy-Who-Lived, you say? Just a fool who doesn't know his butt from a hot rock. You can't fly a broomstick even so you can't command an army. I don't know what the fool Dumbledore was thinking when he named you the savior of the wizarding world. You're nothing more than a brat._

_ To my real parents, Sirius and Remus. The fathers I never had. Moony is someone who cares, and Sirius can make me laugh even when I don't want to smile. I can't express my gratitude to how much you've helped me. I wish you had adopted me, but I know of Moony's conditions. (Yes, I know he's a werewolf, I recognize the symptoms. I still love you, Moony.)_

_ I now feel completely useless after writing this. I need to start a new life. Don't look for me, please. Because I don't want to be found_

_ Your Former Son,_

_ Harry_

There was silence for a few moments, before Nick burst out laughing. "He actually thought we were going to look for him?"

* * *

**The Daily Prophet**

_ Harry Potter? Who's Harry Potter?_

By Rita Skeeter

Yesterday, at Nick Potter's famous Birthday Ball, an old friend of the Potter's, Sirius Black, a young, charming man brought to my attention that Nick Potter was not the only one celebrating his birthday, but Harry Potter, his twin, was as well. Black revealed Harry's whereabouts in the open, saying Lily and James were not fit to be parents.

**RS: So who is Harry Potter, exactly? What's he like?**

SB: Harry Potter is The-Boy-Who-Lived's twin. At least, that was what people told him he was. He was so much more. He was smart, in the Potter Library twenty four hours a day and never caught without a book in his hands.

**RS: I notice you keep saying, "WAS." Why is that?**

SB: You haven't heard? Well. Lily and James's son, Nick, was better, more important in their eyes. They didn't give two (censored) to Harry. Me and Remus Lupin, my boyfriend, were the only people who would ever give him a present. After a while, he got fed up, and a few months ago he left a note proclaiming he was leaving. Whether he meant committing suicide or running away, I will never know.

**RS: Poor boy! Do you think he would be dark or light, considering his brother is the epitome of light and Harry seems to despise him.**

SB: Harry does not "despise" anyone. He never did. He's far too nice, though he doesn't forgive easily. Harry once told me he doesn't blame Nick for the way he acts. I think, Harry would be neutral. But, I doubt that's a choice. After all, his brother being the Boy-Who-Lived, he needs to make a decision. But that's not the way Harry is.

**RS: What was your relationship to the boy?**

SB: He was my godson, though the closest thing to a son I ever had. Remus said so too.

**RS: What are James and Lily Potter really like?**

SB: I really don't know. They're not the same people I met at Hogwarts. But decide for yourself. One day, on Christmas, actually, Remus and I gathered up enough money between ourselves to buy the Shooting Star. It emptied our bank accounts. When Harry saw it, I think he nearly told Remus to get the money back, because Remus and I are not that well off. Harry's face was the happiest I had EVER seen it. I felt like a real hero then, because Harry loves to fly and the Potter's don't let him on a broom ever since he flew circles around their favorite son Nick. But when James saw that broom, he tried to give it to Nick….er, I might have overreacted and broke his arm and then he broke my nose. I wasn't allowed to see Harry after that, but that was two years ago, when he was six. I sneak in sometimes though, and he told me that James broke the broomstick so after months of work I was finally able to afford another one. I saw him play once and no words can describe the joy I felt when I saw him. But guess what, James broke that one too.

_ He went on to explain about Lily, and Nick. Both sounded horrid in my own mind, not that kind of people I would like to meet. The-Brat-Who-Lived is not someone I would want my kids to be friends with. What is the Wizarding World coming to?_"

"Bullshit!" James Potter cried after reading the article.

"Not really." His wife whispered, feeling guilty. He barely heard it, though, and passed it off as thee blowing wind.

It was not easy being famous.

**A/N: Dear Reader,**

**This is the longest chapter I have EVER written. FIFTEEN PAGES. It took me about four hours to write. Can you believe that? Please comment. I would appreciate suggestions though I understand if you can't review.**

** I know Lily and James and Nick are jerks but they will get better! I have an idea for this story that's REALLY original. **

**READ ON!**


	2. Everything's Happening So Fast

Jar of Hearts

By SuperiorMe

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter D}:**

1. Everything's Happening So Fast

The bakery was only a block away. But, it seemed so far to Harry Potter, who was currently curled up in an unknown alley inhaling the aroma of the fresh-baked cookies and soft, yet hard, bread. It seemed to be too much for him. The poor boy hadn't eaten anything in three days, the longest he had ever gone without eating. Unfortunately, he was skinny and tall. He wished to be short and fat, for once, as it would of helped in his current situation.

He wished he had thought of the dangers of carrying around a sack of about three hundred galleons on his back, parading around the muggle and wizard part of London.

He wouldn't stoop as low to steal, though. It was wrong and he knew the person who he would steal from would see him as much as a thief as the person who had stolen his money. Harry wouldn't be able to deal with the guilt.

Families passed by, staring rudely at the little boy and whispering to themselves about "stupid beggars who can't find a job."

Wow. It was almost worse than living with the Potter's. He had run away in hope of finding something more, though he wasn't sure what. It had been three weeks, and no such luck had come. He couldn't overestimate himself, he realized. Harry didn't exactly have the best of luck. He was beaten (by the men that stole the money) tired (from sleeping on cold rock the past few weeks) and hungry. Needless to say, he wasn't doing very well. Harry stood up with a slow intake of breath. He couldn't just sit there and wallow in his self-pity, and finding every bit of strength he could muster he darted over (rather slowly) to move to the bakery.

He stared at the sweets on display, ignoring the strange looks the baker gave him. He heard a sweet tinkling of a bell as a new person entered the bakery. She was gorgeous, though at least four times his age. She had a small boy with him, about two years older than Harry, eleven years old probably. He was talking excitedly to the baker, like they were old friends. Soon, the boy turned around and saw Harry.

Harry looked away, pretending he hadn't been watching them. The boy grinned and motioned to Harry to come inside, but he hesitated before pushing the doors open and quietly entering. The boy smiled in an assuring way at Harry.

"You looked like you were about to pass out from the smell," the boy said, still grinning.

"My goodness!" The woman cried, glaring at Harry and making him jump. "You are rail-thin! Rhett, I suggest you give this boy some food. Look at him. Where are your parents, dear?"

She sounded nice, despite the jump scare.

"I don't know." Harry answered, the truth. His parents could be anywhere. The bathroom, the library, the Quidditch pitch, Iceland, Romania, Germany, maybe in the mental hospital.

"Oh, well, here."

She handed him a large loaf of bread, and after Harry inspected it, he figured it wasn't poisoned and took a large bite.

The phone rang in the back, and the woman jumped. "What is that, a fellytone? Why do you have one here, Rhett?"

He looked at the boy who had called him in the sweet shop. He had a kind face, and he hadn't stopped smiling the whole time since Harry had entered. He must be a good kid, and he hadn't talked much that whole time, telling Harry he wasn't a brat who needed the attention on him at all times.

"Hello, my name is Ryan Metz."

Harry nearly spit out his bread. Metz? In all the books he had studied, Retz had come up several times. Theodore Kovalchic-Metz had been the creator of the broomstick several million – or – so years ago. His daughter, Tuna Metz, had invented the game Quidditch and even played in the first World Cup, where her team "Puddlemere United" had won by over three hundred points. After that came Carter Metz, who was Prodigy to Leonard DeStefano, who had invented the three Unforgivable curses for good uses, and Leonard was a so-called "Neautral Wizard."

And, of course, there was Salvador Metz. Who was a young man, in his mid-thirties, who surpassed even Dumbledore in magical ability as far as "Great Wizards and Where To Find Them" supposed.

"Yup," the boy said proudly in a silly way. "I'm the son of the all-mighty Sal Metz! Bow to me peasant!"

Then he started laughing, and after Harry made sure he was joing, he timidly joined in as well.

"Dad's at home, though. This is his brother, Rhett."

"My name's Harry Tomlinson."

The baker smiled at them, "Nice to meet you, lad. Feel free to come back any time. Say, you look familiar! Do you know the Potters, by any chance?"

Harry said the only thing that came to mind. "Oh, yes. I might be of some distant relation."

"Oh – alright. It's just that you look so much like James…."

Harry shrugged. The man, catching onto Harry's discomfort, kindly changed the subject to Quidditch.

Thus began the argument over the favored team. In Harry's case, he was a die-hard fan of the Bulgarian National Quidditch team. Though Ryan's argument was that their seeker, Mitchell Greene, only caught the snitch three times out of twenty. Ryan, on the other hand, was a fan of the Chudley Cannons. Though seeing as they hadn't made it to the World Cup in forty years, long before each of them were born, he supported Puddlemere United on the occasion that they would play nearby.

Mrs. Metz turned out to have gone looking for the "fellytone" and bustled back in looking confused.

"That woman on the fellytone was extraordinarily rude! She kept on telling me I was being a maniac and to stop screaming into the phone! How is she supposed to hear me from so far away if I don't scream?"

The baker sighed, and Harry inwardly laughed. "It's alright, Tally. It's just that…" He trailed off. "Nevermind."

"What do you mean?"

He went on to explain how the telephone worked with Tally Met looking more confused every time a word popped out of his mouth. This left Ryan and Harry to study each other.

Ryan was a fairly tall, blonde boy with spiked hair and blue tips. He had glistening blue eyes and a small smile was on his face even when no one had been talking. In the few short minutes since Harry had got there, he figured he would like someone like Ryan. Ryan just talked and talked…and talked and talked. Harry liked people like that, since they didn't mind when the person they were talking to didn't speak back. Even in the times when Harry opened his mouth to say something, Ryan would pause and let him speak. The boy was very polite.

Ryan looked at Harry. Harry had wide emerald eyes and messy raven-colored hair that seemed to stick out everywhere. The strange thing was, the boy was covered in clumps of dirt and twigs and leaves. His shirt was frayed and his pants were torn. He hadn't smiled since he had arrived, and he had only talked few times to Ryan as they had been discussing (more like arguing) about their favorite Quidditch teams. The kid was small, Ryan had thought he was around five until his voice came out mature and calm-like. Ryan was glad he invited Harry in, as the boy was fun to talk to and he definitely needed to eat. Rhett wasn't tight on money, as the Metz family was plenty rich and didn't mind sharing their wealth, so he knew it would be okay.

"So, what's your name, dear?" Mrs. Metz wondered. "I'm Tally Metz."

"Hi, I'm Harry." Harry tried to remember what he's used as his last name.

"This is Harry Tomlinson." The baker saved him from a whole lot of confusion.

"Huh." Mrs. Metz said, looking disapproving. "I'm not a stupid woman, young man. It happens, however, that when I was back talking on the phone. I looked at the paper to see an interview done by Rita Skeeter and Sirius Black talking about a boy named Harry Potter who looks _just like you. _Have anything to tell me dear?"

She seemed like a strict lady. Harry was afraid of her, and she sensed that.

"Oh, don't worry, son." Rhett said. "You're not in any trouble. She's trying to scare you."

"Um…" Harry said. Knowing lying to the wife of the most powerful wizard in the world wouldn't do him any good, he said, "Yes. I- I'm Harry Potter."

Mrs. Metz immediately seemed to burst into tears. "I knew it! Oh, you poor boy. I read the interview and it was completely awful. How could your family to that to you? Oh, you're coming home with us right now!"

Harry felt that this was happening rather fast. Only half an hour ago, he had been wandering the streets looking for a miracle with no way to go. How had this occurred so fast? He could barely believe it. Here was a very kind woman, wife to the most powerful wizard of all time, asking him to come home with her and her son and Salvador Metz. Even if it was just for the night, Harry couldn't believe his luck at having found them.

"Oh, yeah! You can share my room! And you can be my brother. I don't have a brother, as mother can't have any more children. Though her having any children is a disturbing thought, though even her having ME is a disturbing thought – oh, gross. Okay, anyway we have a bunch of extra blankets and I think there's an old mattress – well, it's not really old it's just we bought it a while ago and it hurt dads back – and you can sleep on it if you want and I can show you the woods around our house! They're really cool, by the way."

"Calm down, Ryan." Mrs. Metz said. "We would be delighted to keep you, Harry, dear." She said honestly. "But we don't know if that old fool Dumbledore would let us. In fact, he might even try to send you BACK."

That thought alone seemed to disgust her.

"We'll talk to Mr. Metz about this." She told Harry. "My husband would love to have another child. He would see you as a miracle seeing as we've been wanting another kid for ages. Oh – but you might not want to stay with us. Of course, you don't have to. But since you ran away I'm figuring you're looking for a place to stay and don't want to go back to the people you ran away from. Oh, look at me I'm rambling. Ryan did this to me. I'm normally not like this. Oh."

She stopped. Realizing she was talking to much she smiled a bit then turned to Harry. "What do you say?"

"Of – of course I would like to stay with you!" He stammered. "But…" He looked down. "I don't want the Potters finding me."

"Of course not!"

Harry looked up hopefully.

"Grab my hand!" She said forcefully. "You too, Ryan. Bye, Rhett. Okay now, close your eyes….1….2….3…"

With a pop, all three of them disappeared leaving Rhett Metz alone in an empty bakery.

**(A/N: OH. MY. GOSH. 12 reviews, 31 favorites, 53 followers, and 2 communities. Not to mention that I was added to one of my favorite communities; "Twins, Twins, Twins."**

**I LOVE YOU.**

**Now, I had 600 viewers! If each viewer could kindly take the time to write a review, everything would be fine and dandy. However, I would like to congratulate those who did review.**

Guest (Ashley Wrackspurt): Thank you soooo much! My first reviewer! I have something planned for Lily and James, of course. There not getting off the hook that easy!

Lord Jawblinneron: I see you're a huge Harry/Ginny shipper! Me too! Thanks for the review!

Anonymous0786: Wow thanks! You're really nice!

Hptrump: Thanks so much for reviewing! I'll do the best I can!

917brat: Thanks! Yeah, I always imagined Lily as the sweeter one. She's being kind of a hypocrite right now since she always used to scream at James for being "pig-headed." And it's never too late to say you're sorry! It's just going to take a long time. 

Blotsch: I know, I feel ashamed to say I created their personality. (Well, I've read other stories where they have similar personalities but still!) Thanks for the review and I promise I do have an explanation for the two's behavior!

Wizmage: Wow thanks! I really appreciate the review!

Guess: Thanks so much! You're so nice!

MaddeTheLover: Why of course!

I-Angel92: Thanks so much and here it is!

uwishuwerecool: Obviously! It's cause people like you encourage me with your awesome reviews :D!

jozs001: I always imagined him to be quiet at first after being hurt by people he loves. But then again, he was treated like that at the Dursleys and he wasn't so quiet. You'll get more of a feel on his personality later on, hopefully! Thanks for the review, I really appreciate it!

**OMG I'm so happy right now. **

**Anyways I planned to update last Saturday but I had swim team chapionships. Then on Sunday my friend decided to throw me a huge birthday party and my birthday was Monday, so I couldn't post then. Tuesday I had a swim team party and today I've been rather busy but it's raining now so I figured I'll make use of the time to write it. **

**That's why this chapters kind of short. But, oh well! I'm not the a very good writer, so I'm trying not to draw the chapters out too long anyways. **


	3. Drones

Jar of Hearts

By Superior Me

**Disclaimer: I've said it twice! Don't make me say it again. Fine… :'( …. I do not own Harry Potter!**

2. Drones

Harry snuggled into his mother as he watched his older brother jump on the train, grinning ear-to-ear as he was about to make the trip to Durmstrang Institute which was somewhere in Bulgaria. It turned out that the Metz had not lived in England, as Harry supposed.

Well, his name wasn't really Harry anymore.

That was one of the major things that being adopted by the Metz did to his life. The first, was moving out of the country he had been born in. And the second, was that the Metz had changed his appearance in a blood ritual to look more like a Metz than a Potter. He still had his green eyes, with the excuse that his Aunt Flor had green eyes (though Harry's were brighter) and black hair. But his hair was done up like Ryan's now, spikey with acid green tips. Not to mention his growth spurt, as he now was as tall as Ryan. The third, was that he was no longer being called Harry Potter.

Now, his name was Landon Metz. He was named after Sal Metz's (his father, though Harry – Landon – called him Sal still.) father. Sal had said that Landon Metz Sr. had been one of the only Metz not to do anything to make the history books before his untimely death at the age of twenty seven. Sal hoped that Landon Jr. would be able to do something great, something so amazing there would be a "Landon Metz" day.

It had only been two weeks since Landon had been adopted. Being found on August 20th, he barely had any time to spend with his older brother Ryan before the boy went off to Durmstrang for his second year. Apparently, unlike Hogwarts, people at Durmstrang started at the age of ten and went to school for eight years. That thought had excited Landon, because now he only had to wait one years for school.

Landon felt like he had known Ryan his whole life. The two boys would spend each night talking about his old life and Ryan before they had known each other. Also about other things, topics ranging from Durmstrang to Hogwarts, to the hottest veela in the world or the ugliest girl, to who had the bigger nose, to guessing what kind of pie either of them liked.

Ryan's father, and Landon's too, he figured, was another story.

It wasn't like the man wasn't nice or anything. But Landon could see the powerful aura that surrounded him and was frightened that if Mr. Metz ever let that power go to waste, say on Dark Magic, he would surpass Grindelwald and Voldemort in power and have the wizarding world in the palm of his hand in a matter of seconds.

To Landon, this was an eerie thought, so it took a few days for him to trust the large man before getting used to living in the same house with him.

He loved Tally Metz (Mum) right off the bat. She was gentle, and powerful, and scary at times, but she had the biggest heart of anyone he had ever met. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him, in his mind. The only reason Landon was more upset about the fact of Ryan leaving them for months was because she would be there with him the whole time.

"Come on, let's go." She and Landon carefully avoided all the German-speaking people .

Landon, as Harry, had learned most languages when he was at the Potters. German was not one of them. He had been quite nervous when he found out that he would need to speak German to fully-understand classes at Durmstrang but had sighed in relief when Sal offered to help him. For some reason, Landon found it hard to speak the language. This didn't faze Sal, who didn't become exasperated once at Landon's failure to remember German. Landon now knew most words and all the grammar associated with it, but he still had to go over it nearly every day to remember things.

"Grab my hand." Mum said. "Ready…1….2…..3."

With a crack, unnoticed by the muggle by-standers, the pair disappeared.

Almost like magic, they reappeared in the Metz kitchen household unfazed and began about their normal activities. Except, normally Ryan would be there with them. Without Ryan, they didn't talk much. Mum was very much like Ryan, all talkative and such, but that day she didn't really have much to say except a few quick jokes here and there. The day was relatively quiet, until Sal got home from a meeting with Dumbledore.

"The old goat-fu-."

"SALVADOR CARTER RAMIREZ ANTONIO METZ IF YOU FINISH THAT SENTENCE I WILL WHIP YOUR HIDE AND SEND YOU RUNNING BACK FROM WHATEVER SEWER YOU GOT HERE FROM."

Landon knew very well what he was about to say and smirked inwardly.

He did look like he came from the sewer as well. His coat was torn and his hair was frayed, his face dirtied. Landon had never seen the man like that, all tired and worn out. He had, in Landon's eyes, always been strong and powerful and now he just looked….well, like he came from the sewer. In his Mum's eyes, that was what happened.

"Don't worry, Lan. Dumbledore looks worse."

And there was the Salvador Metz he knew.

"Of course he does." Landon said, hoping to sound doubtful though he knew it was probably true.

Landon always made fun of Sal as he was so boastful, saying that half the stuff he did was probably all lies. This, of course resulted in a huge argument on whether Sal was as oh – powerful – as he said he was, which would lead to fight, where Landon would obviously lose. Though, Sal always mentioned on how that if he tried, Landon might become as powerful as him or Dumbledore one day.

Landon always looked to Sal more as a teacher than a father. Though Sal was intimidating, Landon spent hours in Sal's office while being taught Legillemency, Animagus Ability (though Sal refused to let Landon try the transformation until he was twelve) Occlumency, Potion Making, Dark Arts and Defense Against the Dark Arts, the art of Divination and Astrology, and how each were connected, and Healing processes and how it associated with Potions.

Of course, as Landon had only begun getting lessons that week, he had only made it to Animagus Ability. That was what Sal said he would do, and he promised Landon that he would be a master at the arts before he arrived at Durmstrang, or at least by his second year. Sal had told him privately that he had huge hope for Landon, that his magic surpassed that of anyone he had ever seen before. He could become something great, Sal told him. Sal said that this was the most power he had ever seen under the age of someone fourteen.

"What happened with Dumbledore?" Lan wondered.

"Oh, that." Sal said like he had forgotten why he was matted with dirt. "The old b –." He paused with his wife's look. "_Man_," pause again. "Asked me why I suddenly had another boy. I saw that a none of his business. Than the -. The uh, man, attempted to read my mind! He must be really dumb if he expects me to not know Occlumency! That's elementary level. Ryan, he's eleven and I can't break through his shields! So, of course, I cast a few curses at Dumbledore and that resulted in a duel. I was gone for a little more than I expected but, I won!"

Landon smirked. Sal only cursed when he was angry. He must be furious to attempt to do it so often. Of course, he could never get away with it seeing as Mum was always there. Though, Landon knew of the cookie jar used for cursing. Apparently, each time a member of the Metz family cursed, they would have to insert two galleons. All the funds went to the orphanage downtown, so Landon would occasionally insert a few coins even though he didn't curse.

"Yes, but Dumbledore's older than Merlin and Morgana." Lan taunted. "And if he made you look like _that_, then something must be wrong."

Sal scowled and ruffled Landon's head. "Think what you want."

"Oh, I have a few thoughts right now." Landon said, fixing his hair to perfection once more and glaring at Sal. No one touched his hair.

Landon looked at Sal. The man was normally very clean-cut with spiked blonde hair (his son had gotten the fashion from him) and dark blue eyes.

A pureblood trait, the Metz said. It was called so because the Malfoy's were the epitome of pureblood bigotry. The Metz were related to the Malfoy's. Landon and Ryan knew Draco Malfoy, as the Metz and Malfoy's always kept in contact. Draco was around their age, but was closer to Landon seeing as they had been born the same year and had similar experiences. However close they were, Sal and Lucius didn't have similar views on the pureblood society. Sal didn't have anything against muggles or Muggle-borns, but wasn't exactly a fan of the "light" side seeing as Dumbledore was leader. They were still friends, though, and half-brothers.

Landon didn't mind Draco much, but the boy was a bit air-headed. Ryan and Draco were always getting into arguments about pureblood supremacy. Lan didn't agree at all, and Ryan didn't either, but Draco was all for it. Most times, though, they tried to forget about that.

"Wanna go study? Lan? I'm all for it, I'm just gonna go take a shower."

"Of course!" Landon said, and Sal smiled.

It was five minutes later, after Sal's shower, that Landon sat in the office with Sal studying Animagus Forms.

"I made this potion last night -."

"You should have let me do it!"

"It's too risky now hush! It lets you determine your form before you can actually transform-."

"Revelare Ipse, it shows you your animal form to let you focus more on your inner animal when you attempt to transform." Landon interrupted.

"How do you know that?" Dad – Sal wondered. "Anyway, yes. It will give you a vision of your animal in the woods, in a park, in a sewer, doing something. I dunno. Would you like to try it? You very well know you can't transform until you're eleven or twelve, because your magic will need to have developed fully. But, still. I think it might be fun to know."

"Okay!"

Sal handed him the potion. Gulping it down, Landon waited but nothing happened. For a while, all he did was sit there and wait for something to happen.

When it did, it hit him. Hard.

He could feel his eyes snapping shut, and blaring white washed over him. He opened them to find himself in a forest, and in the middle was a beautiful white pond. He looked around, waiting to see the animal, but when the time passed and it did not come, he padded up to the pond. Glancing down, he nearly fell over. Looking in, he saw the face of a beautiful stag. A stag.

His eyes snapped open faster than they had shut. Landon looked to see Sal staring at him, and realized only a second had passed since he had been in the forest. It felt like an eternity.

"Did you see?" Sal asked curiously.

"I'm a stag!" Landon cried. For some odd reason, Sal looked disappointed.

"Did you see anything else?"

"No…"

"Oh, well! That's wonderful, son!"

"Thanks…..Dad."

**(A/N: Two updates in one day! I am superman. Or superwoman. Whatever tickled your peach. Honestly, I only updated as a result of all the reviews I got. WOW. Thank you!**

**And, without further ado, thank you to all my wonderful reviewers. **

SlytherinGirl26: One of the better BWL stories? WOW, thanks! It means so much! I honestly thought you were joking, haha! But thanks!

Varaivolf: Thank you so much! And this chapter is especially for you!

Death Sender: THANK YOU! And I'll try. As for Lily, there's a reason for her behavior. 

Ray: Thanks! I really appreciate it!

Harry Ginny and Daphne fan: Thanks for the review! And why on earth would Harry go back to the Potters? I think I just threw up a little in my mouth! I'm not that cruel! Hahaha.

DancingintheDark: Awwwww! You're so sweet!

Ughh: What's your problem with "faggotry?" In my opinion, you're no better than the pureblood wizards in Harry Potter just because you think yourself better over people. I don't think it's stupid. While I've never met a gay person (at least not openly gay) I don't have any problem with them whatsoever and have no reason to bash them in MY fic. If you have a problem with that, go write your own fic. I realize you don't have an account. 

**There it is! **

**Thank you soooo much. I was REALLY happy when I opened my email up an hour ago and found about twenty emails from about comments and favorites all in the last hour!**


	4. Sooo Sorry!

So...I broke my arm by falling off a chair. I am the biggest klutz you will ever meet. :/

I got my cast off two days ago, but I have to get surgery in my knee really soon :c

I have a really badly hyper extended knee and the cartilage hardened so they have to go in with a scope and scrape the cartiglage off...eww. I'm also a dancer, so I have to quit dance this year cause I can't dance for 4-6 months.

This pretty much sums it all up. I'm a mess.

I have so many surgeries planned for the next two weeks I probably won't be well enough to write the story until a month from now.

Sorry!

I promise LOADS of updates after this. My arms still hurts.

Plus school is getting in the way of EVERYTHING. I'm only in middle school!

So...how is everyone? :P


	5. The Professor's Plan

Jar of Hearts

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

**A/N: ****Hi guyz! Love ya all and thx for the reviews. I know I haven't been updating D: check last chapter for the excuse. I had my first surgery done, so I'm missing school for the next few days. I don't have anything to do…so I decided to write this chapter!**

4. The Professor's Plan

Albus Dumbledore was not having a good week.

It started when thoughts of Ariana came back, bringing his brother Aberforth sniffing around. Trying to prove his hypothesis, the Headmaster supposed. It was right, anyways. But if Aberforth found the source to reveal it he would be up to his knees in shit.

Then, of course, came the pester. Harry Potter had run away.

Dumbledore thought he had it all under control of course. Placing Harry's magical signature in a detector and searched the world for his source. But nothing showed up. It was impossible for him to have changed his magical signature. Unless, of course, he performed blood magic, becoming part of another family with a powerful potion that took months to prepare. Besides, it took months. So, the only other option was that the child had passed away. This caused a whole new set of problems for Dumbledore, as he knew Harry could have been Nick's backbone throughout Hogwarts years. Albus had met Harry here and there, and knew he was not the type to hold a grudge. That boy would have been great.

Besides the press, pushing Dumbledore and hating on Their Savior and the Golden Couple for ruining that poor little boy's life, Dumbledore had other problems.

Lily and James.

Many years ago…back when Nick had first been proclaimed the Boy Who Lived, Professor Dumbledore had decided that the Boy Who Lived would need to be under his complete control before he was morphed into the boy that would save the entire Wizarding World….even if it meant having to _persuade _Lily and James a little.

It wasn't necessarily an Imperious Curse. In fact, no one but Dumbledore knew what it was because he was the creator. It was called the Unclear Potion. Simple as that. Dumbledore knew if he wrote it in his textbook as a Latin translation, and the ministry went through it, they would no doubt understand it and ban it. Perhaps even strip him as Head of the Wizengamot. He came up with a backstory for the Unclear Potion, saying it was a medical resource for Madame Pomfrey and it helped with memory relapse and such. It wasn't the best excuse but Dumbledore wasn't up for thinking when he made it.

So, using the Potion Lily and James were manipulated into thinking that Harry was a sorry excuse for a son. They weren't supposed to like him, or do anything for him. When Albus met Harry the first time, he was surprised by the child's friendly exterior and intellectual level and had to double check to make sure that his Potion worked correctly.

The Potion was made to work only if Harry was in the Potter's care. Now that he was dead, the Potter's were beginning to remember bits and pieces. It was only that Thursday afternoon that the Order had been in meeting a Lily was telling a "silly dream" to Severus about how Albus had wiped all her memories and replaced them with new ones. Severus seemed disgruntled at this, and Dumbledore feared it might be suspicion. This doubled all of the Professor's stress when James told Snape that he had the exact same dream. Severus's memory would need to be modified.

And the third came directly after that.

Thursday evening, when all the students in the castle were tucked in and ready for a full night's sleep (except perhaps the Weasley twins) Dumbledore received an urgent floo call from the Ministry.

Not wanting to bend over the fireplace and talk into the ashes, the Professor decided to invite the mysterious caller in. It was probably the Minister, after all. No one else would call him at the inconvenient hour. It was strange, however, when the Ministry man (or woman) did not accept the call offer. Bending over the fireplace, Dumbledore tapped his wand and up popped the caller's face. He had never seen the man before, and flared up the wards. This was probably important.

"What do you want?" Dumbledore droned, trying to sound like he had woken up.

"Oh please, you sickly old goat fucker. You can stop the act."

"Of course. So how may I assist you?'

The anonymous man in the fire place growled. "You don't seem to recall me, Albus?"

Dumbledore could not. With the ashes in his hair, and the shimmering light surrounding his face like a halo, Dumbledore did not recognize Salvatore Metz looking confident as ever. He ranked next to Dumbledore, or possibly above him, in power. Sal, in Dumbledore's opinion, didn't know how to use it.

Oh, but he did.

"Ah. So, Salvatore. How may I pleasure you tonight?"

"Sorry, but I don't swing that way old man." Sal smirked. Dumbledore's face reddened as he realized that the expression must have sounded quite wrong.

"If you're asking what I need, you could have just said so. I actually don't need anything, because then I would owe you. So…I'm going to tell you a little something instead. Stop the meddling, lay off. Or else. I'm telling you, Dumbledore, there is such thing as karma. You have it coming for you. You could have been so great. But you're just as awful as Lord Voldemort himself. You've murdered two people in cold blood. How could you. Let me just say it, back off. Goodnight."

The light faded. The flickering flame, which illuminated the entire room with a beautiful golden light and a warm feeling, vanished. There were no light on, there was no noise. With his old ears, Dumbledore could have heard a pin drop on the other side of the castle. Fawkes, who had overheard the entire situation, growled. Scraping his claws, he took off into the night. Dumbledore kneeled over the fire place.

Tears fell onto the dark coal.

And then all of a sudden, the world exploded.

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Today was the day.

Dad would not stop taking pictures. It annoyed Landon to no end.

It was always crazy before going back to Durmstrang. The last Easter, Ryan had been severely late to arrive in the Courtyard and had been punished in front of the whole school. Two hours working for Karkaroff, apparently. It was hard being a Metz's son, Ryan said. If you, literally, didn't try your best 100 % of the times Karkaroff would put you in the "special" classes. It was where he placed all the Muggle-borns (which Landon found insane) and half-breeds.

But, ever since baby Marielle had arrived ten months ago, things had gone from chaos to insanity.

All morning, Marielle had been throwing a tantrum in the kitchen for some reason. Sal said this was the age where her magical balance was off-center and she needed to learn to control it. This meant leaving her be and watching her suffer, which was awful. Landon couldn't have breakfast because they were keeping her by the big window, which was the most relaxing place for her. She was being watched by Mum.

Ryan was in a similar situation. He had been freaking out all morning because he hadn't found his uniform. Dad refused to help him out, and since magic didn't work in the Metz's house hold unless it was "study hour" or in Dad's office, he was on his own.

Landon was having a few problems with his glasses.

He looked like an idiot with them on. Ryan said he was "such a girl" for caring about his appearance so much but even Ryan said he looked pretty bad. He wore his uniform. A tan coat with tan slacks and a white vest underneath. A tie of course, which was badge-less. Ryan said some of the high-ranking testers earned badges on the first day. Landon vowed to be one of them. Landon was tall and skinny, with broad shoulders and a hard six pack. He looked quite nice in his suit. He had spiked, glossy brown hair with green tips. He looked good, but his huge glasses made him look….

And Ryan said he was having a "girl day."

After an hour of fretting over his appearance, Sal took Landon into his office and handed him small clear plastic circles.

"These are contacts, they're muggle devices and I was planning on giving them to you when I find out what Team you're on at Durmstrang. I was going to mail them. I guess now is as good a time as any. Landon placed them in, and thanked his father.

"Sal! The portkey's turning red! Get over here! If you're late again, Ryan, Karkaroff is going to whip your hide."

Ryan sprinted down the stairs and grabbed on to the pillow, and a few moment later Landon reached out to grab it. They waited, and with one last smile to his mother Landon was deported away.

Landing was the tricky part. After all, walking on air was quite hard. But since going with the Metz's, Landon had learned quite a bit and managed to pull himself up.

"Okay, little bro." Ryan started. "This is one big step into the big world. You are no longer going to see Mum and Dad every day, got that? You need to learn to survive on your own, with me of course."

Ryan paused the big-brother talk as he noticed Landon had already run away to talk with some other firsties.

Shaking his head fondly, he muttered, "They grow up so fast."

Walking away to go find some of his friends, he left Landon to go among the other first years.

"Hi, I'm Thomas."

"Landon." He said. "Hey, where do we need to go?"

"My sister said she's show me, but she ditched me."

Landon laughed. "I ditched mine. I guess that wasn't so smart. How about we go ask that girl over there."

He pointed to a pretty girl with long golden hair. She was small, and looked quite frail. When Landon walked over to her, he noticed she had very pretty blue eyes. Thomas seemed to notice to, because he looked over and mouthed 'good choice,' with a wink.

The girl noticed to.

"What did you just say?" She glared. Landon immediately liked her. No matter how small she might be, she was tough.

"Err…nothing!" Thomas said, smiling innocently.

"Hi, I'm Landon." He looked down, and she smiled back up at him.

"I'm Evangeline."

"And I'm Thomas!" Thomas butted in. "Funny, Humble, and totally available."

"Pig…" She muttered disgustedly. "Why are you talking to me.

"I just wanted to know….are you from Tennessee? Because you're the only Tan I see!"

**(A/N: I known they're in Bulgaria but whatever!)**

She slapped him hard across the back, and then turned to Landon.

"Where are we supposed to go?"

She sighed. "I dunno….that's why I've been standing here waiting for some direction! We'll just…wait, I guess."

And then, out of nowhere, a stone path revealed the castle. It looked beautiful, reflecting on the lake below it. Walking along the arch way was the most amazing thing Landon had done in his entire life. It felt as though a weight was being lifted off his shoulders, like the entire world decided to back off and leave him be. He got that feeling he used to get when he was little, six years old and kneeling in the library shying away from the world and afraid to be caught snooping. He remembered that sinking, but rising feeling when he was so tired he was wide awake. That was how he felt.

A man came out of the shadows. In Landon's mind, he looked quite creepy. Dark eyes and a go-tee, long hair to his shoulders and a long overcoat. Lan noticed for the first time how cold it was.

"Hello, my name is Igor Karkaroff. You may call me sir, Headmaster, or Commander. Not "Karkaroff" or "Igor" or any possible names you can think of that are not formal. First years, this is your first time going to an actual school. This is not a time to play. This is a time to learn."

"Right now, many of you have magic blocks on. That is in order for you not to have any magical explosions which you may not be able to control. Some people's magic are far too powerful to have out to display to the world. Those are the ones who will have great power. They need to use it wisely."

Lan saw Karkaroff looking directly at him, and he recalled a story Ryan had told him about the first day their father went there. He had so much magic blocked that all of it had exploded inside of him and he was forced to build it back up, making himself so powerful he rivaled Dumbledore in magical ability. Of course, everyone who went to Durmstrang knew that Sal Metz surpassed Dumbledore by far. The only thing was, Sal never flaunted his magic or used it to become high up in the social chain. He instead had discovered cures for his wife to use in work, where she was a healer, and had found out the 12 uses of Dragon's Blood before Dumbledore "borrowed" his notes.

Landon smiled. He was going to be the best he could be. Sal often said Lan could become as great as he someday.

He would need to work. Hard.

And that was when the castle came into sight.

And then all of a sudden, the world exploded.

**(A/N: No, I do not mean the world exploded as it burst. It's a metaphor!**

** The PAIRING is Harry/Ginny! Definitely. They were meant to be together!**


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